Association of Co-morbid conditions with Diabetes Staging

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between co-morbid conditions and diabetes staging. Methods: A cross sectional observational study was conducted from July 2023 to October 2023. Total 148 subjects were classified into two groups. Well controlled DM patients (HbA1c less than or equal 6.5) were considered as an unknown stage (n=85) and poor controlled DM patients (HbA1c greater than or equal 8) were considered as stage 1-3 (n= 63). Purposive sampling was done according to availability of patients. The collected data were entered into the computer and analyzed by using SPSS (version 20.1) Results: Patients with stage 1-3 tended to be older (mean age 47.9 vs. 44.9 years, p= 0.063). Co-morbid conditions were significantly more prevalent in Stage 1-3 diabetes. Hypertension (51.4% vs. 38.1%, p= 0.04, OR= 1.72), other chronic diseases (55.4% vs.42.4%, p= 0.03, OR=1.69), all showed strong association with advanced staging of diabetes mellitus. CKD prevalence was numerically higher in Stage 1-3 (37.8% vs 27.1%) but did not reach significance (p=0.12). Multivariable logistic regression confirmed hypertension (aOR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.05- 3.15, p= 0.03) and other chronic disease (aOR= 1.68, 95% CI: 1.02- 2.78, p=0.04) as independent predictors of Stage 1-3diabetes.This results, derived through maximum likelihood estimation, demonstrate that comorbid conditions significantly influence diabetes progression. Conclusion: Co-morbid conditions significantly increase the progression and severity of diabetes and its associated complications. Medicine Today 2026, Vol.38 (2): 282-284